Fruit-picker.



S S. EGGLESTON.

FRUIT PIGKER.

APPLICATION IILED 8E1T.12, 1911.

1,034,989. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

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S SPENCER ECCLESTON, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 MELVILLE A. CLARK, OIE SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

FRUIT-PICKER.

Specificaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 12, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

Seral No. 648,846.

T0 aZZ whom as may conoem:

Be it known that I, S SPENCER EC()UESTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in I1ruit-Iickers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fruit pickers, and has for an object to provide a deviee of this cl1aracter whieh will include a gathering cage and a severing elcment, the latter being positioned above the former and being adapted to eut the stem of the fruit and thereby permit the same to be removed Wlth the fruit so as to prevent the rapid deeay of the fruit after the same is removed from the. tree, it being understood that in picking ovenripe fruit the stems usually beeome detached from the fruit which causes a rapid decay of the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fruit picker wherein the basket Will be disposed at such an angle with respectto the handle as to greatly facilitate the gathering of the fruit.

A still further objeet of the invention is to provide a conveying tube which Will be positioned with respect to the discharge end of the collecting basket so as to allow the passage of the fruit therethrough without bruising the same.

In the drawing, forming a portion of this specification and in Whieh like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several viewszFigure 1 is a perspective view of the fruit pieker. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly moclified form of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the handle.

My improved fruit picker comprises a handle member 1, a head 9, a gathering cage 3, and a severing knife 4. The handle is constructed of the telesdopic sections 5 and 6, the latter being slidably mounted on a corrugated sleeve 7 which is fitted to the upper section 5 of the handle. The section 6 is provided with a pivoted cam lever 8 which is adapted to be brought into engagement With the sleeve so as to securely hold the same in its adjusted position on the upper section 5.

The head 2 is substantially of circular configuration and is stamped from a single piece of-sheet metal, and as illustrated, it is provided with a lateral extension 8 on which is formed :1 socket 9 which receives the upper section 5 of the handle. This head has stamped theretrom a cireular series of tongues 10 with which the lower bight portions 11 of the yieldable cage loops 19 are seeurely engaged. The basket is constructcd from a single length o:l wire, and as shown, the adjacent loops of the cage have their side portions intertwisted, at 13, so as to secm-ely hold the loops in cage for1n. The knife 41 extends partly around the cage at the upper end thereoi, being preferably arranged at sueh an angle so that the efi'ective cutting portion of the kni1e is disposecl immediately above the cage so as to facilitate the engagement et the knife with the stem of the fruit, causing the same to be severed from the tree and preventing the loss of the stem from the fruit wben the latter is eollected. The effective cutting surface 01: the knife is provided with an annular series of substantially V-slits 15, the walls of the slits being bent t0 lie in parallel relation to eaeh other so as to form the companion cutting blades 16. The knile is providecl with hooked ends 17 which are adapted to be securely clamped to the side arms of the loops 19 of the cage, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The head 9 is arranged substantially at an obtuse angle with respect to the handle so as to extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom when the handle is disposed verticall v. lVhen the handle is held upwardly and iorwardly from the operator the cage and the. head 2 are disposed horizontally so as to be correctly positioned beneath the fruit. A relatively large dischargc opening 18 is formed in the hcad 9 and fitted in the opening is the upper end of a conveying tube 19. This tube may be extended downwarclly against the side of the handle 1 of the device so that the lowcr end of the tube will be positionecl in reacli of the hand of the operator to enable him to collect the fruit as it is picked. If desired the fruit may be extended into a suitable receiving basket or receptacle, (not shown).

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 2. the cage 20 is constructed from a single pieee of metal which is provided with a bond portion 91 and the yield able portions 92. These portions entend upwardly from the head and are arranged in a circular series thereon, as shown. The

head 19 is provided wth a central discharge opening 23 and a handle attaching socket 24.

I claim:

1. A fruit picker co1nprising a handle, a ,head mounted thereon, said head. having stamped therefrom a crcn1ar series of tongues, a gathering cage comprising a single strand cf wire supported by sad head and fascened thereto by means of said tongues, a knife secured to said cage at the top edge thereof and extending partially around the same and having its cutting surface pr0- vided with an annn1ar series of V-shaped cutting shts, the wa1ls of said slics being bent t0 lie in spaced parallel relation 0ne to the other to form compani0n cutting b1ades, and a discharge tube connected to said head.

2. A fruit picke1 comprising a handle, a

head mounted therecn, sad head havingstamped therefrom a c1rcular ser1es 0f} Longues, a gathering cage ccmprsing a sin g1e strand of wre supported by sad head and iastened thereto by means of said tongues, sad wire being s0 bent to form yeldable cage loops, the adjacent l00ps of said cage havng their side portions intertwieted t0 securely hold sad 1OOPS in cage form, a knife secured to said cage at the top edge thereof and extending partiafly around the same and havng ts cutng surface provided with an annular series of Vshaped cutting s1ics, the walls cf said slits being bent t0 lie in spaced parallel relation one to fl1e 0ther to form companicn cnttng b1ades, and a discharge tube c0nnected t0 sad head.

In testimony whereof 1 affiX 1ny signature in presence of two witnesses.

S SPENCER ECCLESTON. XVitnesses SHIRLEY CARTER, R. G. POTIER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressng the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1). C. 

